Taking a Dive 23.2.85, 1985

John Hoyland RA (1934 - 2011)

RA Collection: Art

John Hoyland was one of Britain's leading abstract painters.

Hoyland initially identified his paintings by only a date, which signified the completion of the work. However from the mid 1970s he also used titles, which in this case reveals his inspiration, confirmed by the presence of fish-like shapes.

In the early 1980s the circle became a dominant feature of Hoyland's work, as well as an increasingly strong and expressive palette. A sense of space is created in this painting, not only by the circle 'floating' against the black background, but also by the central black shape piercing the vibrant yellow.